The process of applying to graduate jobs, 'The Milkround'

The background
Often the reason students choose to continue their studies at university is to enhance their job prospects. Job hunting can be a time consuming and frustrating process, it can take up valuable time away from your academic and social responsibilities. However if you follow a number of steps, you can make this daunting process easier.

But what shall I do?
Many students are unsure of what type of job they want to pursue upon graduation. If you find yourself in this position then chatting to friends, relatives and careers advisors may give you some ideas on careers may be suited to you. Work shadowing, although frequently unpaid, is an ideal way of finding out whether a particular role would suit you. For most students, their university careers service should be the first place to visit for help in finding information. There are a wealth of magazine-style publications available at the moment which list the big graduate employers and what each position would involve.

Experience is everything
If possible, organising an internship, some form of work experience, or even temping, is a very useful way to enhance your employment potential. Internships are offered by many large graduate recruiters and normally run as 6-12 week summer placements. They are frequently well paid too, however competition for the small number of places available is fierce. Start thinking about applying to these positions in January of your penultimate year. However employers look for other skills, as well as work experience, these include examples where you have demonstrated key skills in leadership, teamwork, problem-solving and communication. Ensure you have a pre-prepared example for each of these situations. Involvement in university societies or sports teams is often a way of developing such skills, however you can also include skills developed whilst at school - such as on the Young Enterprise or Duke of Edinburgh scheme. In the Internet age, IT-literacy is a must, so brush up in these areas to improve your CV.

The big decision
You may wish to put off finding a job until after you graduate, perhaps you wish to take a break after uni and chill out by travelling for a year. However, remember that many employers are perfectly happy to accept applications from students who wish to defer their employment start date until 6 months to a year after graduation. By finding a job before you leave uni you will have the advantage of taking part in the milkround process, as well as having university careers services at your immediate disposal. And of course you can go away with the satisfying feeling that you have a job to come back to, and financial security. If you don't manage to arrange anything by graduation then don't worry as nearly all graduate recruiters accept applications from graduates - provided they apply within two years of graduation. By taking part in widespread travelling or voluntary work you may also be able to enhance your CV for when you return to the UK.

Still keen?
So what should you do if you want to apply for a graduate job whilst in your final year? Well, it is important to start thinking and planning early. At the start of your final year you should be perfecting your CV, through consultation with a careers advisor, and preparing answers to application forms - many of which ask very similar questions. From November many large graduate recruiters will start accepting and reviewing applications, they may even offer initial interviews or tests towards the end of this month. So identify which firms you would like to apply to and get your application form sent off as early as possible. Deadlines for applications start approaching towards the end of December, but many extend into the Spring months. If your application is successful you will be invited to an initial interview which may involve some tests, if successful at this stage this interview will be followed by an assessment centre - following which offers of employment are made. The following points describe and give advice for each stage of the recruitment process:

The application form
This is frequently regarded as the toughest stage of the recruitment process, as it is where the majority of applicants are filtered out. If you are invited to interview following your application form then the chances are you meet the requirements which the firm is looking for, that's the biggest hurdle to overcome. Ensure you are able to offer plenty of different examples of where you have worked in a team, solved a problem, arranged an event etc. Although you may be able to modify your experiences slightly to match the questions, it is important that you do not lie at this stage. Initial interviews are frequently based on your application form - and interviewers will see through any gaps in your record. Many application forms are internet based now, this should make things quicker and easier for you as you can copy and paste pre-prepared answers onto the form. These are also an advantage if you have bad handwriting! A large part of the application form is simply filled up with your contact details and academic record. Ensure that you can offer sound and honest answers to questions such as why would you like to work for...? The company website usually provides a wealth of information for this stage. Don't expect to get many interviews following the completion of just a few application forms. There a large number of students chasing these jobs so you will need to apply to around 10 - 20 companies to dramatically improve your chances of employment. Don't be disillushioned if you receive early rejection letters at this stage, different employers look for different attributes, so keep trying!

The inital interview
Congratulations, you've secured your first interview. This may be the first proper interview you've had so two things are crucial at this stage - preparation and practice. Sign-up for practice interviews at your university careers service, or ask a friend or relative to put you on the spot with some questions. It is very important that you research and prepare for an interview. Interviewers are particularly impressed if ask a question, or mention something concerning a recent development with the company. Read newspapers and scour the internet and company website to ensure you can do this. You will find that the first round interview questions are fairly predictable and carry on the theme of the application form asking more tedious give me an example of an occasion when you... type questions. However not all interviews are that predictable - don't be put off by spontanious questions - one interviewer asked me What was the last book you read? which caught me rather off-guard. Another interview just asked me to recall my personal development since secondary school, a nice opportunity to reminisce for half an hour! Spotting that he was captain of his college football team, one of my friends was asked by an interviewer: What are your opinions on the 4-4-2 or wing-back formation? Ultimately interviewers are just after an insight on your personality, your application form has proved you have the background they are looking for, so to be successful at this stage just be yourself, and try and remain cool, collected and confident.

Testing sessions
Some internet application forms now integrate initial personality or numeracy tests, however often these will be conducted on-campus or at your first interview. The most common test is of a numeracy kind. Don't let this worry you - I finished maths at GCSE and considered my ability relatively weak, however with practice managed to cruise through these tests. The main areas they look for are your ability to interpret information regarding percentages and ratios. Nothing more complex than that is required. The next popular type of test is Verbal Reasoning. These cannot be prepared for and just require you to interpret a number of short statements, with practice your speed at doing these tests should improve. Another type of test is a Personality or Psychometric test. These ask you to rate a number of statements on how important you rate each issue. Key things to remember here are: don't try and 'guess' what the employer is looking for and be consistent with your answers - as frequently the statements are re-worded and repeated. As with all types of tests, try and work quickly and skip out any questions you get stuck on. Don't worry if you don't finish the test - frequently they are designed so you won't.

The assessment centre
This is the final stage of the assessment centre, if you have got this far then you are very close to receiving a job offer. This normally involves a whole day of activities, with breaks between them. It may require an overnight stay at a posh hotel and a nice evening meal the night before. When you get down to business the activities are likely to revolve around group problem solving work, individual interviews or presentations. Any group work will be assessed, so your participation in the activities is important - don't drown others out or don't be too quiet. Overall, enjoy the experience, learn from the feedback if you are not successful and remember that you are not being judged alongside the other candidates, but against a set of criteria the employer is looking for. GOOD LUCK!